Anti-whaling conservationists say they are again intent on disrupting Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean and are concerned humpbacks may be included in the hunt this season, for the first time.

Japan's fisheries minister has confirmed the country has sent two ships to keep an eye on anti-whaling activists and says the boats will monitor Sea Shepherd, which has launched two of its own ships to intercept the Japanese fleet.

Fisheries Minister Hirotaka Akamatsu says Japan will continue to carry out its research program while placing top priority on safety.

The international media director for the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Amy Baird, says the move shows the Japanese government is getting frustrated.

"We just take that as evidence that we're really causing an impact and are being successful down there if they're willing to take that extra step to stop us," she said.

"Clearly we are having an impact and costing them a lot of money and getting more and more frustrating for them."

Earlier this week, two Sea Shepherd boats left Hobart bound for the Southern Ocean. For the next three months they will follow the Japanese whaling fleet.

Ms Baird says this is their sixth campaign and hopefully their last

"Well our plan is simply to intervene and stop illegal whaling operations in the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary," she said.

Humpbacks may be included

The senior program manager with Humane Society International, Nicola Beynon, say she is concerned that humpback whales could be included in Japan's hunt this season.

"Japan has repeatedly threatened to include humpbacks in their Antarctic hunt and they use the humpbacks as pawns in the diplomatic process that's underway, for a compromise over commercial whaling," she said.

"And they choose the humpbacks because they are a special species that means a lot to Australians.

"However, what we must remember is that they're already killing nearly 1,000 minke whales and 50 fin whales in Antarctica and these are also beautiful whales," she said.

"Fin whales are the second largest whale and horrific cruelty is involved in killing such a large animal with harpoons and rifles.

"It can take up to half-an-hour, an hour for them to die, very painfully, very slowly.

"So the humpbacks is a major concern, but I think that's more of a political game that Japan's playing. What they are already doing in Antarctica is an atrocity."

Humpback whales have not been in the quota in the past.

The International Whaling Commission met in Seattle on Monday.

At the conclusion of the meeting pro and anti-whaling countries reached a compromise, promising to more effectively conserve whales and "manage" the whaling that is happening in our oceans.

"We do not want to see a compromise that manages and legitimises commercial whaling," she said.

"Such a compromise would create a whopping great big loophole and probably end up in seeing more whales being slaughtered.

"You can't have a compromise on this; either you have a ban on commercial whaling or you don't."

This year's hunt will largely be conducted in waters off the Australian Antarctic Territory.

Amy Baird says the Australian Government needs to do more.

"The Rudd Government was elected on a platform of ending illegal whaling in Australian waters and in the two years they've been in power, they've done absolutely nothing - in fact less than the previous government did," she said.

"So certainly this is an issue that is near and dear to the Australian people's heart and something that the Government should be taking seriously."

A spokesperson for Environment Minister Peter Garrett says the Government used a previous monitoring expedition to gain evidence for potential legal action.

Legal action remains an option, but there are no current plans to send a Government ship this season.

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